Old ML shooters in early TV programs

[SamTex1949]

Just watched an old episode of the "Lone Ranger" 1950 titled "The Star Witness". Early in the show LR and Tonto retrieve a ML shooter found and return to a boy at his farm house. You see him carry it off but can only tell it looks like a ML, Octagon barrel (.45cal or larger), ramrod , half stock but that;s all you ca nsee at the time. Later in the show during a final fight scene you see Granny pull it out from behind a chair and take aim at a bad guy, there you can see it is halfstock, barrel very likely 34" or more and judging by other props around the barrel appears a good 1" across flats. Dont realy get the best look at the lock but guessing it is a back action one, simple ML sights couldnt see the trigger area well enough to see if single or double triggers, trigger guard was of trade rifle design.

using DVR, freeze and slow motion/frame advance I can at least tell it doesnt appear fake or a trapdoor conversion. Toward end of program Granny is holding and it has the look of a decent length rifle compared to her, boy and men all standing together, she holds it up long enough to see a interesting inlay on the left side of the buttstock. Seeing this was made in 1950, we can definitely rule out any modern made rifles. Another interesting observation was when she tried to fire (no cap on it) there was a distinct click (as if one dry fired a caplock) I know they dubbed in sounds but dont think so with this. Anyway it is always a wonder how many Old, Real ML's ended up in movies / TV shows.

 

[Captjoel]

I have enjoyed seeing a lot of original muzzle loaders (longrifle's) in many old movies. From several in "Sgt. York" where I was told that Dickie Moore who played the younger brother of Alvin, carried around a rifle made by Nicolas Hawk. I also recently watched an old Jimmie Stewart movie, "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" where there are several scenes shot in his office in the Capitol building. Hanging on the wall for decoration is a very interesting Kentucky rifle.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Hollywood! http://www.moviereplicasdirect.com/colonial-to-civil-war.html

 

[tenngun]

If you can find pre 30s westerns you will often see westerns with a wide variety of arms. Later we see all colts and winchesters. It was handy for the prop department.
In gone with the wind the Yankee rapist that storms Tara Scarlet has a proper revolver.
I watched the horse soldiers the other day and for all the problems with the movie noted how well the dinning room of Greenbriar was decked out. Some times odd little stuff get in to movies. In pirates of the Caribbean the h m s dauntless is directly taken from Victory... Or at least the way she would look a century later then the time frame of the movie.

 

[SacramentoJohnson]

Hi,
I noticed some percussion muzzle loading rifles on the wall in an early scene in "Shepard of the Hills" 1941 with John Wayne and Harry Carey Sr. They looked to be the real deal.
I'm always surprised when Hollywood has a character set in the percussion era, actually use a percussion revolver. Alas, 9 times out of 10, it's a cartridge conversion, though.

 

[bubba.50]

Hi,
I noticed some percussion muzzle loading rifles on the wall in an early scene in "Shepard of the Hills" 1941 with John Wayne and Harry Carey Sr. They looked to be the real deal.
I'm always surprised when Hollywood has a character set in the percussion era, actually use a percussion revolver. Alas, 9 times out of 10, it's a cartridge conversion, though.

that's so their 3 in 1 blanks will work in them.

my favorite muzzler on tv is the intro scene on The Beverly Hillbillies with Jed just "a huntin' up some food".

 

[SacramentoJohnson]

My understanding is that Hollywood used "5 in 1" blanks, actually; 45 colt revolver, 44-40 revolver and rifle and 38-40 revolver and rifle could all use those blanks. They also came in different power levels; I've heard of 3/4 and full black powder loads, depending on whether the scene was an indoor scene or outdoor one (no need to blast the ears off the performers on indoor scenes).

I believe the "Gettysburg" film used cap and ball revolvers and the armorers actually loaded them as such. I'm trying to think back if "Glory" did also; might have to watch it again...

 

[bubba.50]

5 in 1 - that's what I meant . next time I'll use my whole hand to count :haha:

 

[satx78247]

Fwiw, a couple of Saturday afternoons ago, there was a circa-1960 episode of THE REBEL with Nick Adams as "Johnny Yuma" on local cable TV Channel 81.

One of "the killers" on the TV show used a Bess to kill a townsman & later shot at "Johnny Yuma" with the musket. - It LOOKED like a real Brown Bess & certainly had plenty of smoke when fired.

yours, satx

 

[bob308]

that muzzle loader of jeds is really a trapdoor Springfield.

 

[steinauge32]

If you have ever watched "birth of a nation" those immediate post civil war Klan guys all have trapdoors too.

 

[SamTex1949]

Another TV series I acquired to see if it was of any interest "Hawkeye" 1994-95. Story wise it was sadly weak but checking out the equipment and dress most wore (exception was Lynda Carter) was interesting. I n the Pilot opening scene we have Hawkeye confronting some attacking Indians (all out hunting I guess) he fires and is seen speeding while a attacker is charging him, I had to stop and rewind and do slo-mo but the speedloader he is using is really cool ! :thumbsup: the beadwork on it and all was good ! Dont know what "expert" was suggesting the accessories but it looked great! :hatsoff: I had no way to capture the screen nor could I find any stills showing it. :idunno:

 

[snubnose57]

I the 1940 movie, Arizona, everyone is using M/L weapons, Somewhere I read that most if not all were origionals.
Really like the bar scene near the end of the movie when the actor is sitting at the table, loading a cap and ball revolver.

 

[wulf]

1936 J Wayne and Clare Trever in Allegneny Uprising
They used reaL Besses and Kentuckys.

 

[Zonie]

One of the Gunsmoke TV shows from the early 1960's was a story was based on a person with a .36 Colt Navy.

In several screen shots, they showed a Colt opentop that very likely was a real Colt Navy.

The owner of the gun was accused of killing a man but ole' Doc Adams dug out the bullet and made a big point of the fact that it wasn't a .36 caliber ball but it was a .44 cal bullet that had done the man in.

 

[coloradoclyde]

my favorite muzzler on tv is the intro scene on The Beverly Hillbillies with Jed just "a huntin' up some food".

I liked when Jed and Jethro where shooting flies off the driveway gate...from a hundred yards away....

 

[Len Graves]

I remember one scene where Jethro was shooting " golf eggs" out of the air with his rifle. RIght smart shootin !!

 

[bubba.50]

I like when they were lightin' matches at the fence/wall & ricochetin' bullets off the wall to light two with one shot. ya don't see that kinda marksmanship every day. :bow:

 

[Micah Clark]

I have 5 of the 6 Daniel Boone seasons on DVD. It was one of my favorite shows as a kid and they are still enjoyable 45 years later.

However, the more I have gotten into muzzleloading the more critical I become of their rifles. Almost everyone uses the same rifle which has a metal barrel band, sometimes 1, sometimes up to three. Its a short rifle, smoothbore and ugly, but I see a lot of them in old movies.

I understand that the Daniel Boone show was before the resurgence of ML building and shooting really took off in the 70s. . . and so much of what they had available were old originals.

Here's a pic of one the rifles often seen in the show. Not sure what it is.

Fess Parker's rifle is an ugly thing too. It is a smoothbore with a fowler guard and open face or queen anne style appropriate lock, but the butt plate and butt stock is shaped horribly . from the back looking down the rifle its almost a rectangle shape . and the stock is horribly badly distressed or engraved from the lock to the muzzle. Yet, it does seem to shoot, as do many in the show.

 

[Micah Clark]

This is what I mean in regard to Daniel Boone's rifle in the TV show that Fess carries and the "engraving" or distressed look from the lock forward.